In the News: Inclusion, Growth, and Epistemic Communities in Utah

Utah’s Salt Lake City metropolitan area has made strides in inclusive economic growth, but why?

To answer this question, the Deseret News featured Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor’s Just Growth work–linking equity with growth–during their 2013 research visit to the region.

“We tried to ask the question, ‘Where are the places in the U.S. where over the last 30 years there’s been an ability to achieve sustainable economic growth and also an ability to, in that process, lift all boats?'” Manuel Pastor, professor of sociology at the University of Southern California, said. ‘It turns out that the Salt Lake metropolitan area is one of those places that’s been able to do that – to do more inclusive growth.'”

One of the key factors Benner and Pastor highlighted were the regional leaders’ ability to have inclusive conversations and share knowledge across religious, race, economic and business lines. As Pastor said, “Knowing together is the first step to growing together.”